Luke 4:42-5:11
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, October 17

Too many people view their Christianity as a benefit from God that carries little if any responsibility with it. The Bible, however, is perfectly clear when it says that we are to be faithful in our service to the Lord.

In Ephesians 2:10 we find these words: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." The call of Jesus upon one's life cannot be ignored.

Every Christian should understand that there is a divine mandate upon his or her life.

As we examine our scripture for today, it is evident that the purpose for one's life can change. The men who became the apostles had a quantum shift in their life's purpose. They had always been fishermen and were totally dedicated to that task. But when Jesus came on the scene and called them to follow Him, their purpose in life changed. They were no longer fishermen.

Suddenly they found that something spiritual had happened to them that reoriented their lives. Their new purpose was heavenly, not earthly. It was spiritual, not physical. A new purpose became their heart's desire.

 

Understand Jesus' Purpose
Luke 4:42-44

Jesus was always preaching. He says in our passage that the purpose of His coming was in order that He would preach the kingdom of God. Our Lord was focused on what He was sent into the world to accomplish.

In our day we often speak of multi-tasking. By that we mean that a person should have a number of things they would focus on and accomplish for a company. But Jesus was focused on preaching the word of the kingdom of God and saving sinners. Both of those things go hand in hand.

Jesus had been teaching at the synagogue in Capernaum when he visited Simon's house and healed Simon's mother-in-law. Others came to be healed and Jesus did many wonderful works in healing them and casting out demons. The people did not want Him to leave, but He told them of His purpose and that purpose was the driving force in His life and ministry.

Jesus did not come into the world to make everyone feel good or be financially free. Jesus didn't come to earth to give everyone perfect health. Jesus came to earth to preach the kingdom and to save the souls of people. He also came to give us life more abundantly and that, in itself, is a direct byproduct of preaching the word of God.

In another passage, Luke 9:60, we find that He has told us to preach the kingdom of God as well. In fact, in that passage, preaching the kingdom is equated with our obedience to the new purpose that God implants in us. When one is saved, he is given a new purpose - to be obedient to the Lord and to get involved in the divine purpose of saving souls.

 

Allow Jesus to Use What You Have
Luke 5:1-3

In Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20 we find accounts of the call of Peter, which are parallel to this passage in Luke. The fact is that Simon Peter was a hard-working fisherman. He was not a preacher or a refined person of wealth.

In calling Simon Peter, Jesus was demonstrating the fact that anyone, anywhere and at any time can serve Him. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift or gifts we will need to do the task that the Lord has for us.

As Jesus came to the Sea of Galilee, He had a great crowd of people following Him. Being pressed upon by the crowd, He borrowed a boat that belonged to Peter. This was no accident. The Lord had a purpose in getting involved with Peter. Jesus knew what was going to happen even though Peter did not.

This should say something to us about how much we ought to trust the Lord. When we don't understand the things of life, He does and knows exactly how to deal with a situation.

When Jesus went on the scene Simon Peter, and James and John were lifelong fishermen. But when Jesus started to leave, these three men were devoted disciples of His who gave up their profession to follow Jesus Christ. And, from scripture, we know they were faithful to that calling.

The Lord calls people where they are and takes them to where He wants them to be. Life is different after Jesus calls a person to salvation or to special service. No one should enter into special service for the Lord unless they have a strong sense of divine call.

When the road gets rough, and it will, those with a strong sense of call will make it through. Those without a sense of call will have no anchor during the coming storms of life.

 

Respond to Jesus' Call to Tell Others
Luke 5:8-11

The most powerful thing a person possesses is their personal witness.

That witness can penetrate a hardened heart and be the tool the Lord will use to bring someone to Himself. Jesus told Peter, "... from henceforth thou shalt catch men." His life's purpose had been changed by his encounter with Jesus.

In the parallel passages noted above it is even clearer. Jesus is saying that if a person is following Him they will be fishing for men, and conversely, if they are not fishing for men, they are not following Him.

This is a serious issue in churches today. Are we fishing for men and proving our followship of the Lord? We have no higher purpose as Christians.